Visitors arriving in Barcelona aboard cruise ships will soon face significantly higher costs after city officials announced plans to double the tourist tax for cruise passengers. The new fee, unveiled by Mayor Jaume Collboni, will raise the daily charge from €4 (£3.47) to €8 (£6.80) per person, as the city ramps up efforts to tackle overcrowding caused by mass tourism.
The decision marks an acceleration of a policy that had originally been scheduled to roll out gradually over four years. Now, city leaders want the higher rate introduced within months. 'I want to discourage cruise ship passengers from coming to Barcelona,' Collboni said, as reported by Spanish newspaper El Pais. 'Tourism must serve the city, not the other way round. We want quality tourism, which is why we are renovating the Fira de Barcelona; we are interested in business visitors. What we don't want is tourist overcrowding.'
Though the tax increase appears relatively insignificant for individuals, daily costs could snowball quickly for families and groups. A family of four stopping in the city for the day could now pay nearly £30 in tourist fees alone. The crackdown comes amid mounting frustration over the impact of overtourism on Barcelona residents, with over 20 million visitors pouring into the city each year. Locals have repeatedly voiced their concerns over crowded streets, rising rental prices, and pressure on public services. Tensions boiled over in 2024 when anti-tourism demonstrations made headlines after protesters sprayed visitors with water guns during protests across the city.
According to Barcelona City Council, tourism contributes to around 14 per cent of the city's total GDP and supports more than 150,000 jobs. However, officials are increasingly under pressure to balance the economic benefits of tourism with residents' quality of life. Barcelona is not the only Spanish cruise ship destination to implement daily fees for visitors. A new tourist tax is also set to be introduced in Vigo, a bustling port city located in Galicia.
Visitors to Vigo will soon be expected to pay a daily levy depending on their accommodation, as local officials finalise plans to introduce a tourist tax. According to Spanish reports, the proposed charges could reach up to €2 (£1.74) per person per night for guests staying in high-end four-star and five-star hotels. Mid-range accommodation, including tourist rentals and three to four-star hotels, may face a €1.60 (£1.39) nightly fee, while low-cost options such as hostels, campsites, and rural properties could be charged €0.80 (£0.69). Those staying in guesthouses and one to two-star hotels are expected to pay around €1.20 (£1.04).
Vigo's mayor, Abel Caballero, confirmed that a €1.20 (£1.04) charge will also apply to cruise passengers disembarking at the port. The tax is expected to be introduced gradually from October, just two months from the city's famous festive light switch-on. Initially, it will apply only to the first two nights of a stay until July 1, 2027, after which it will extend to a maximum of five nights.
